Three Weeks, Three Different Point Leaders
Austin
Dillon leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series points for the first time in
his career – a somewhat surprising statement for a driver who threatens
to win an almost weekly basis.
But
it’s true. Austin Dillon used a 12th-place finish at Indy to move into
the points lead for the first time, and becomes the third different
leader in as many weeks.
Two
races previous, Regan Smith held a slight five-point advantage over Sam
Hornish Jr. with Dillon seven points further back. Then after a
runner-up finish at Chicagoland the following weekend, Hornish
leapfrogged over Smith to take a seven-point lead over Smith with Dillon
eight points back.
It’s
now Dillon’s turn to carry the banner as the series returns to Iowa
Speedway for the U.S. Cellular 250 Presented by Enlist Weed Control
System. He leads Smith and Elliott Sadler by six and 13 points,
respectively. Hornish dropped to fourth in the points, one marker behind
Sadler.
Dillon,
who has four finishes in the top three but is still looking for his
first win, returns the No. 3 Chevrolet to the points lead for the first
time since Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the season-opening race at Daytona in
2002. It’s been since 1999, however, that the No. 3 was atop the
standings this late in the season. Earnhardt went on to win his second
consecutive title later that season.
Could
the same be in the cards for Austin Dillon? If Dillon is to keep his
perch atop the standings for the remainder of the season, he’ll most
likely need to add a victory or two to his resume. His past success at
Iowa makes this weekend as good a time as any to make a mark in the wins
column.
On
his last trip to Iowa back in June, Dillon dominated the race by
leading 207 of 250 laps, finishing second to Trevor Bayne. In five other
series starts at the 0.88-mile track, Dillon has four top-15 finishes.
Additionally, his last two visits to the track with the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series resulted in a win and a runner-up finish.
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